Last night marked my final moments of 2012 and start of 2013. It did not disappoint. My New Year's Eve plans led me all the way to downtown where I spent my evening on the top floor of Artful Dodgers, a cute little pub. Not only did I celebrate the New Year with four of my friends, I also rang in 2013 with at least 100 other interesting people.
By interesting, I mean most of them are part of an online travel community named Couchsurfing, like myself. Couchsurfing is a great way to connect with people from all over the globe who share an open-mind to meet new people and perhaps crash on someone's couch (hence the title of the organization). Some are amateur travellers, travelling for the first time during a gap year while others have been on the road and "getting lost" for fifteen years! But it doesn't matter what kind of travel expert an individual is because we all share the same passion and I believe that is all a group needs to be able to share their stories, witness new cultures, and meet new friends.
At the pub, I was lucky to meet some outstanding people, most of them not a local like myself. There were a handful of locals, but the foreigners outnumbered us. I personally ended up chatting with Couchsurfers from the following countries: France, Spain, Germany, Guatemala, Chile, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Sweden, Belarus, Australia, England, United States, and Italy! The fact I was at home celebrating the New Year with so many travellers made me imagine I was also away from home and think about all of the adventures I have been on. What I learned was most of the Europeans moved to Canada for various reasons with the number one issue: recession. Other reasons were backpacking as much as possible before heading back home, or finding a new and exciting adventure in a different country. All of them are my Couchsurfing family and I hope to keep in touch with a bunch.
There were so many bodies to meet and unfortunately it wasn't possible to introduce myself to everyone. With that said, I learned a great deal about new people, had drinks, played pool and darts, got my own "I <3 CS" pin, and rang in 2013 with the WORLD! This night will never be forgotten.
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| A bunch of us at midnight! Photo: Hayden, Event Creator. |
A Single Resolution
I'm not a good follower of resolutions like many others and I intend to keep it that way. There is a promise I must keep for myself, though: to attend as many Couchsurfing meetings downtown as possible to meet even more fellow travel enthusiasts!
On that note, I wish everyone the best this year and many more to come!
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| Myself, Sarah, and another CS with my new pin! Photo: Hayden, Event Creator. |
...Nonsensical Jade...
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